Housing

BENEFICIARIES OF INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION STATUS

The Refugee Law (No.6 (I) 2000) provides, among other things, for the protection of refugees and protected persons (as defined in the Act) regardless of their ethnic origin. It sets the basic principles of treatment of asylum seekers, regulates the rights and obligations, and provides for entry and release temporary residence permit in the Republic etc. It also defines the process of recognition of refugee status and establishes the Asylum Service as a general mandate for asylum applications.

Below you may find several services provided by the Republic of Cyprus. Click on each one to find out more.

On the issue of housing for asylum seekers, there is no specific referral system for housing. According to the Refugee Law (No.6 (I) 2000), asylum seekers have the right to reside legally and freely in the Republic of Cyprus.

In Cyprus, there is only one Reception Centre for asylum seekers, located at Kofinou. It has the capacity of approximately 400 people and it is designed for temporary accommodation up until the asylum seeker finds a more suitable and appropriate place. The maximum stay in the Center is approximately up to three months. If a resident’s application for asylum has not been completed within the designated period of the maximum stay the Social Welfare Services is responsible to assist the applicants with alternative housing arrangements.

Furthermore, the Asylum Service, which is responsible for the operation and supervision of the Center, has decided that potential residents will be referred to the Center according to vulnerability priority such as families with young children, single women or women with children. The services offered at the Reception Center include provision of free meals, free shuttle services, and children of families who are hosted in the Center have the opportunity to attend school near the Center.

Finally, people staying at the Centre receive a small amount of money for personal expenses. According to the regulations assistance on housing depends on the evaluation of the level of resources that the asylum seeker processes.

THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS

The accommodation conditions of domestic workers depend on the contract provisions of the employment which is agreed upon both parties securing accommodation.

The project Migrant Info-Centre (MIC), is co-funded by the European Commission from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (90%) and the Republic of Cyprus (10%). Project Number: CY/2018/AMIF/S02.N02.1.3/2